While Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly has ceased new publication, the entire collection is available on CDs so you can enjoy it for a long time to come. There are some really great patterns available in this huge collection. I’m sad to see another stitching publication being discontinued, but I am glad to see that the patterns they shared will live on in this way.

The color inspiration for the March/April box was The Scream painting, and this is the Halloween box. Upon opening the package there were three packets filled with beautiful surprises waiting to be discovered inside. [Read more…]

You’ve probably heard me talk about how stitching is a great stress relief for me and how having a hobby can be an amazing therapeutic path for just about anyone for any reason. This book focuses on that idea in the hopes of attracting new and existing stitchers to take up their needles, destress, and enjoy their day.

This post was hard for me to write because I supported the original Silkweaver Fabrics so strongly, but here it is.

I noticed when you post photos of projects you mention that some of your fabric was “original Silkweavers” and I’ve seen so many ladies in Facebook groups complaining about not receiving orders and having issues with things. I was wondering do you still recommend Silkweaver as a fabric resource?

Original Silkweavers I never had a single problem with an order, they were fast, the fabric was amazing, and I even joined two fabric of the month clubs for long periods of time. They were once upon a time hands down my favorite fabric supplier, my stash was (and still is) made up of much of their beautifully created fabric, and I frequently recommended them here at Stitching the Night Away, on our old forums, and in the weekly newsletters.

Unfortunately it feels like since Zweigart bought them and took over, everything has gone down the drain and the customer service hasn’t been exactly nice. I think that maybe Zweigart was so used to selling prepackaged standard fabrics that they weren’t as prepared for the individual care and attention a hand-dyed product would need in the long term, so the Silkweaver brand has suffered.

I stopped ordering from them a few years ago after some poorly handled customer service and ordering issues that myself and some other stitching friends experienced with little to no response to service inquiries. While it’s my understanding that these issues are slowly improving, they’re certainly still not up to the amazing service level that the original brand had and I frequently see people wondering out loud in stitching groups if their orders will ever arrive or if they’ll get a response to their inquiry.

So, at the end of the day, while Zweigart still manufacturers excellent quality base fabric in mass production, I don’t necessarily recommend Silkweaver, especially if you’re looking to start a project right away. These days I have much better customer experiences buying my hand-dyed fabrics from small independent dyers, Etsy sellers, and small brands like Picture This Plus or Stephanie’s, and 123stitch.com has some hand-dyed selections in their inventory as well. And for our UK friends, many of the stitchers I talk with highly recommend Polstitches.

I’m always on the lookout for new independent sellers as well, so if you happen to get your hands on some great fabric, let me know about it! Leave a comment below, email me, or share the info on Facebook.

Stork Scissors. My cutting accessory of choice. I searched for the right pair, silver finish as opposed to gold or brass, fit, function. All these qualities were important to me. I am very careful to just use them on fabric and thread, absolutely no paper, and after I am finished, I sheath them.

But what happens after you play with your toys month after month? Wear and tear. So I put out the call last year for a Christmas present that involved a sharpening implement.

A unique lap stand created by American Dream Products the E-Z Stitch® Lap Stand is hand-made from solid American Red Oak hardwood and hand-finished with a beautiful Golden Oak oil stain.

The E-Z Stitch® Lap Stand is versatile, attractive, and very easy to use. It fully eliminates fatigue and cramping of the hands from holding stitchery frames. Both hands are free to stitch. Extremely comfortable and fun to stitch on! Fully adjustable scroll frame swings straight up to tie off the back side of your project. [Read more…]

On Valentine’s Day after everyone had been sick and a week of not really stitching on anything I decided that a little stash acquisition was in order. Just as I the thought Stitchnmomma posted a reminder that there was only one day left on her 25% off fabric sale on Etsy and I remembered that I really wanted a piece of orange fabric she had listed the week before. So I hopped over to her Etsy shop… and put it in my cart!

So I frequently hop over to Amazon and pop “cross stitch” into the search and check out the newest releases for the month, or the last 90 days if I’m a little behind on checking things out, and I’ve been noticing more and more cross stitch pattern books are coming up as available for Kindle,and a few that were Kindle only, no print version to be found anywhere on Amazon.

I’m honestly a little confused by this new trend. Yes, I’ve been without a printer and tried to stitch a small pattern from my computer screen (and I have a 25″ monitor!) and that process is difficult. I can’t imagine trying to stitch something from a pattern on a Kindle screen, even if it is true to real print. I also saw some other needlework formats and even quilting pattern books in Kindle editions.

Maybe its just because I mark my place on my charts, highlighting finished areas and making notations in the margins of the page. I know not all stitchers do that, but I think a large percentage do some sort of place marker. I definitely need to have the paper in my hands and I usually make a working copy if I don’t want to write on the original.

Has anyone tried one of these pattern books on Kindle, and how did you like it?

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